`Frontline': Prisons And The Mentally Ill

TV EYE

May 10, 2005|By ROGER CATLIN; Courant TV Critic

State psychiatric hospitals began to be emptied in the 1980s, and just 55,000 patients remain in them nationwide. Nearly 10 times that number -- almost half a million mentally ill people -- are in jails and prisons today.

There, corrections officials are often unwilling or unable to care for inmates' mental illness that would, in an earlier time, have been treated in state hospitals. The Ohio Department of Corrections, which allowed in cameras from ``Frontline'' (CPTV, 9 p.m.), is doing a better job than most. But it still seems less than ideal in the report ``The New Asylums,'' where more than one mentally ill prisoner is released only to commit a crime in order to return to the relative safety and regularity of life behind bars.

Amazing Racers

It was a year ago, and it was all reality fans could do to stomach the end of ``Survivor: All-Stars'' in which a lout from Boston had somehow choreographed the end so that if he didn't win, at least his girlfriend would, and he'd steal her spotlight by proposing to her on the live finale, on one knee and with one hand practically out.

What have we done to deserve having ``Boston'' Rob Mariano and fiance Amber Brkich back in prime time all season on ``Amazing Race 7'' (CBS, 9 p.m.), poised to win another $1 million from CBS a year later? He's been the worst kind of American ambassador a guy in a Red Sox cap can be, whether he's lying to competing teams, or getting locals to help him out, then laughing at them behind their backs. Among the other two couples remaining in tonight's two-hour finale is the season's other high-profile young duo: former Iraq POW Ron Young and his girlfriend, former South Carolina beauty queen Kelly McCorkle.

Despite their All-American pedigree, there doesn't seem to be much future in their relationship. She's already blamed him for becoming a POW to get out of the military, and he hasn't always treated her in a way befitting a beauty queen. They bicker a lot. And their biggest fault may have been aligning briefly with Rob and Amber (at least until those two put the brakes on them with a Yield last week).

That leaves the one couple to cheer on: Uchenna and Joyce Agu, the pair from Texas whose relationship has deepened as they've persevered, even helping the old couple where they could last week. Joyce seemed to undergo a spiritual transformation when she agreed to shave her head in India. They deserve the win in a way not seen since Chip and Kim McAllister in ``Amazing Race 5.''

Win or lose, though, there's no avoiding Rob and Amber. Before the end of May sweeps, they'll be the second reality-show couple to sell their wedding to prime time (for yet another $1 million check from CBS?).

Also On Tonight

As the fourth season ends for ``Scrubs'' (NBC, 9 p.m.), I will say for the record that I don't get it. Their obvious jokes, with musical guitar breaks that play like wah-wah horns of the past, may be cornier than the canned laughs they replace. It's fast-paced, yes, but in a stale ``Laugh-In'' kind of way. And jokes about a stuffed dog are about as old as Ford-era ``SNL'' skits. At any rate, because it's about residents, one of them actually takes a job somewhere else by the end of the show, as J.D. finally moves out of the house of Turk and Carla.

At least ``Scrubs'' sets itself apart from the array of dumb dad sitcoms epitomized by ``According to Jim'' (ABC, 9 p.m.), which marks its 100th episode tonight, celebrating with a clip show that follows at 9:30 p.m.

Better than both, probably, are the explosive turns and a seasonlong mystery solved in tonight's first season finale of ``Veronica Mars'' (UPN, 9 p.m.).

If you can't get on the Dr. Phil special, the only way to shed yourself of sins on TV is by a ``Saturday Night Live'' self-parody, which Paula Abdul accomplished over the weekend. So she'll preside, as ineffectually as ever, as the final four compete on ``American Idol'' (Fox, 8 p.m.), where Anthony Fedorov has to be the next target.